All the Doctors?

It’s hard enough trying to reunite five friends but imagine trying to wrangle five generations of actors – all famous for playing the same role, all with respective careers at various levels of success, together to potential play the role that made them household names.

It’s barmy, right?

Then again Doctor Who is fantastical by nature and with the news that, potentially, that five Doctors; Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Peter Davison and Paul McGann, all reunited, all very warm and chatty, would be interested in appearing alongside the contemporary incarnations of the Doctor – it’s fantastic!

Sure, Colin Baker’s emphatic ‘no’ might not have been that surprising given the history he has had with the BBC, but it was a pragmatic answer – there has been no offer, so why would he declare his interest?

It would be surprising if he decided not to do it on the grounds of recrimination.

Colin’s position seems more akin to Tom Baker – whose request of ‘something witty’ to bring his incarnation back to the screen, is simply a request for good material – it might be a celebration but let’s not get lazy. And that’s taking for granted that the age difference could be explained away convincingly and wouldn’t be a stumbling block for any of the Doctors potential appearance.

In footage of the exciting meeting, posted on YouTube by Alonsireviews, Tom Baker talks of how much he owes the fans and doesn’t simply want to be a ‘shagged out old icon of the last century’:

Sylvester McCoy also speaks of not disappointing the fans while both Davison and McGann (whose appearance would require the least amount of technobabble to explain away the age difference and more tantalisingly, has the least established timeline, and that’s no disservice to Big Finish) were silent about their involvement in the anniversary.

It’s a question that might not be the most comfortable to ask but: If there was still some animosity towards the way the show was handled during their respective runs would the individual Doctor’s let it overshadow how much it has given them in return?

Christopher Eccleston remains the obvious stumbling block with his seemingly untenable position reagarding his time on the show.

No one knows the exact circumstances that led him to distance himself from the machinations of the Beeb’s senior staff but he seemed adiment that he wouldn’t return: ‘Never bathe in the same river twice’ he reportedly said in 2011.

It’s impossible, crazy and, with nobody willing to confirm anything other than ‘interest’, it feels as though it could all fall apart at any moment but if animosity could be overcome, an idea could encapsulate the passage of time and changes in appearance, then maybe, just maybe all the Doctors could return.

Everyone has a favourite Doctor and mine - just for his honesty, his fairness and his ability to not notice the Master's awful, awful disguises/anagrams (Sir Gilles Estram!?!) - has to be the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison. The stories didn’t serve him as well as his acting served those stories.